Bottom of the Pile: Jan. 22, 2014

Really, Geoff? I mean, I miss 90's comics as much as the next guy but are we really going so far back as to give entire mini-origins (defining trait + real name + superpower + superhero name) in single speech bubbles? Who talks like that?

All-New X-Factor 01

What you're looking at here is what will likely be the focal point for PAD's secondary X-Factor run. It's a fairly interesting idea, considering that as it stands mutants being the next evolution of man doesn't make sense (what are these evolutions helping us deal with, if not just existence itself?). But unfortunately, it's one of those ideas that's so wide in scope that while it demands being utilized by the rest of the universe from whence it came, it probably won't ever be spoken of again after PAD stops writing the team.

All-New X-Men 22

I'm waiting for the day when a comic book reveals this to be every telepath's biggest lie: that they read minds all the time because it's easier to just take the truth than ask for it when you can know what they REALLY feel anyway.

Avengers 25

It's amazing how a single page can turn your entire perspective of what you think a comic is about. Here in Avengers we see Jonathan Hickman do his own twist on the "evil version of a team of heroes", initially making readers recall the classic, "Silver Age" Avengers only to pull the rug out from under us with this page, simultaneously perverting the arc word "Avengers World" he's been using for some time now. If I had to guess, this is where things start to go wrong for the team and their plans.

Avengers World 2

It's a tad ironic that a guy named Captain Terror ascribed to one of the highest ideals of heroism, but hey, it was the 1940's. Back when there were guys and girls whose only power was "the ability to deal two-fisted justice" thought it was a good idea to create and wear complex, brightly-colored outfit to help in the war effort rather than simply enlisting like normal people.

Black Widow 2

Situation Awareness is apparently a very real thing, but at the moment I'm just pretending writer Nathan Edmonson made an Archer reference here.

Hawkeye 16

In a way, this single issue is more obscure than Kieron Gillen/Jamie McKelvie's Phonogram ever was. But if you can put that aside for a few minutes you'll find a fairly decent and entertaining story that delves into the craziness, the allure, even to some extent the hypocrisy of the music and culture of the sixties.

Iron Man 20

Speaking of Kieron, here in Iron Man 20 he echoes the thoughts of countless comic book fans. Myself included. I miss when events happened in the span of a single month and then we moved on.

Mighty Avengers 5

For some reason, there's no trope name (that I can think of, at least) for this. When characters can break the established rules of their particular universe in the name of comedy, or emotional reasons. This is why Spider-Man, a guy who's supposedly agile enough to take on an entire X-Men team and not be immediately trounced and has a Spider-Sense that warns him far before any danger can ACTUALLY come to him, is currently being hit in the face by a pissed-off mom.

Superior Spider-Man Team-Up 9

I posted this for three reasons: One, I love the idea of self-proclaimed uber-genius Otto Octavius mispronouncing the name "Tupac" as "Two Packs". Two, I loved Anna Maria already, and I love her even more now that she's apparently a rap fan. Three, I just wanted to say that while I initially hated the idea of Superior Spider-Man, in the grand scheme of things its a part of a much larger story Dan Slott has been telling, and he's really been doing the best work of his career so far on that title.

And that does it for me. Until Thursday, when I catch up on THIS week's comics. >_<

Author's Note: Bottom of the Pile is a weekly column (or at
least, my attempt at said) in which I cover the comics that found their
way to the bottom of my pile, thus being the best as I've always been a
proponent of "saving the best for last". Since bog standard reviews
can be found literally anywhere, coverage can range from mini-reviews to
funny comments to commentary on a creator's run or comics as a whole,
depending on a wide range of factors including the comic itself, the
amount of time I have, and my general mood.

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